


the second time i met you

by transperalta



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Amy Santiago Loves Jake Peralta, Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Car Accidents, Daddy Issues, Established Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago, Hurt Jake Peralta, Hurt No Comfort, Sad Ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:46:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24664828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transperalta/pseuds/transperalta
Summary: "jake, when did you start falling in love with me?"based off the song 'Second Time' by Bruno Major.
Relationships: Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago, Ray Holt & Jake Peralta
Comments: 22
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> okay y'all, this is probably really bad because i wrote it at 2am and didn't proofread at all. idk, i was listening to bruno major and i got inspired. i straight-up cried when i thought about this idea, but tbh i probably didn't write it well enough to cry to. whatever! this is just a lil oneshot before i continue my main b99 fic, so i hope you enjoy it!
> 
> again, not very experienced with writing b99 so this is probably very ooc. sorry bout that!

jake woke up to the prettiest view he'd ever seen.

like every morning, his eyes opened and landed on the sight of his beautiful wife, amy santiago.

she was sat up in bed, having just woken up, and she looked back at him.

her hair was a mess, her eyes were slightly swollen, and her breath stank.

yes. the prettiest view. to him, anyway.

"jake. when did you start falling?"

it was wayyyyy too early for this kind of question. seriously, how was he supposed to answer that when just a few minutes ago he had been dreaming about dino-nuggets taking over new york city?

"what, like, falling physically? because i really didn't learn to walk properly until i was like three, so i guess-"

she outstretched her arm and put a singular finger over his lips, effectively shutting him up.

"no, clearly not. i mean, when did you starting falling in love. with me."

"oh. well, that's a very good question. one that i will not be answering right now!"

he was trying really hard not to think about it. because, to be truly honest, he didn't know. i mean, they'd been working together for so long, and there was no way he could pinpoint the one moment that he really knew, right? at least, that's what he would tell his wife if she kept pressing him for an answer.

thankfully, she clearly wasn't too invested either, as she swung her legs off the bed and entered the bathroom. jake took this chance to simply sit and reflect. also, he didn't think he could move his legs, because amy had been lying on them and he was pretty sure she'd cut off circulation.

he set about it like any good detective would. logically, working backwards until he found the moment.

maybe it was the time a couple years back, when they had been working a case together and she'd fell asleep on his shoulder in the car during a stakeout.

maybe it was when she tripped on the way back to her desk after a meeting with the captain, and instead of just being cool about it, she tried to play it off by dancing. dancing very badly. in fact, her dancing was probably more embarrassing than the fall itself. needless to say, jake had that memory locked away to replay whenever he felt sad.

or maybe it was gradual. maybe it happened over time, and maybe he didn't even realise it was happening before he was in too deep.

well, he didn't have time to dive into the depths of his past with amy, because his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the shower turning off, and amy's figure walking out of the bathroom.

"okay babe, we're running late so let's pick up breakfast on the way to the precinct?"

her voice brought him back to reality, and he got himself up out of bed, picking up his clothes from the floor and smelling them inquisitively. deciding they were good enough to last another day, he quickly got dressed and grabbed his keys on his way out, amy following behind him.

the rest of the day, through everything jake did, there was a faint hum in the back of his mind. a lingering thought.

when did he start falling in love with amy?

he pushed it back every time it came to the forefront of his brain. keeping himself busy, requesting extra paperwork, even working through his breaks to avoid leaving himself alone with his thoughts for too long. he was not in the mood to think about something so deep. who needs feelings, anyway?

the day went excruciatingly slow, but eventually it was the end of the working day, and officers and detectives alike were starting to go home. soon it was only him and a few others, and they too left shortly afterwards. the captain had given him some last-minute paperwork to finish, and jake vaguely remembered him saying something about how "the grammar is appalling and you can't use a crayon to file a report".

whatever. it was all he had on his desk at the time!

he was just excited to get home. during his lunch break he'd been scrolling idly on his phone, coming across the occasional pointless advertisement. he would have been working, but terry insisted that he actually ate something and stopped staring at a screen for at least five minutes. he also would have ignored that, but terry was a very, very scary man. seriously, who allowed one man to possess that much strength?

well, he had been scrolling, when something caught his eye. a particularly flashy advertisement for a holiday in california. it even came with access to literally the coolest waterpark jake thought he'd ever seen.

so, for the first time that day, he rushed through his paperwork, and he didn't have to distract himself from that looming question because it seemed to have left his head for the time being.

he practically ran out of the precinct, right after dropping his revamped report onto the captain's desk (making a point to slow down and look responsible until he got out of holt's view). he grabbed his coat, almost sprinting to catch the elevator, and made his way to his car. he'd insisted that amy take it, and that he'd just catch a ride from rosa, but she simply told him that she'd "rather walk home on a beautiful day like this". god, he was so in love with this woman.

his car bounced slightly under the weight of jake hopping into the driver's seat, and he accidentally slammed the door a little too enthusiastically - it made quite a prominent rattling sound, which couldn't be good, but who cares.

in fact, he started the car a little too enthusiastically. and the same with accelerating, and turning corners, and jamming out to his music. his head was filled with thoughts of amy, thoughts of how undeniably cool this vacation was going to be. in his mind, he wasn't driving. he was asking captain holt for two weeks off, thinking of some elaborate lie that raymond would clearly see through, but grant the break anyway.

he wasn't looking at the road. he was looking at the Disney castle, and the fireworks, and the cool stormtrooper suits. (actually, he was more interested in belle and her sweet yellow dress, but he wasn't going to tell amy that).

he wasn't looking at the road.

and so, the next thing he knew, he wasn't looking at anything. his car upturned after being slammed into, in the middle of the new york streets.

he couldn't feel his legs. which was probably a good thing, considering the amount of blood he saw when he looked down. yeah, that made him weirdly grateful for the lack-of-feeling in that moment. 

the ringing in his ears was almost deafening, and as it started to fade away, jake could hear distant sirens. although, deep down, he knew they wouldn't make it in time. 

it reminded him of something terry and charles did in florida. 

he'd have to leave a message. 

stretching his arm out seemed like a monumental task, considering the amount of energy that was being used to keep him alive. but he forced himself to do it, and reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone (which was surprisingly intact following the crash). 

the thought of psyching himself seemed too much. there wasn't enough time, even if it was something they did in all the movies. he just had to press record.

the video was shaky, but it would have to do. after all, what more could you expect from a man who was quite literally bleeding out on the freezing concrete of the new york streets.

the words struggled to come out of his mouth, lips almost glued together and throat uncomfortably dry, but as he forced out the first one the rest seemed to come tumbling out. 

"so. here i am! detective jacob peralta of the 99th precinct. i, uh, don't exactly know what to say. i mean, it's not like i've been in this situation before!"

he was trying his best to joke around, he really was, but even a fake chuckle to keep his spirits up made his ribs ache, and every syllable set his body on fire.

"okay i'll just start, i guess. now, don't expect some big speech or whatever, because we all know i don't know that many cool words."

"wow. this is so much harder than they make it seem in the movies."

"uh. wh-who wants to go first?"

he tried to lighten the mood, clearly unsuccessfully. god, why didn't they show this part of death in movies. he wanted to die in action, during a massive drug bust involving the mafia, and have the coolest last words in the nypd. but no. he was going to die in a car crash, with no one there to even hear his last words. 

"i guess i'll start with gina. heyyy gurrrl? yup, not as cool coming from a dying man, huh. well, it's been real fun growing up with you. you were always there to defend me from my asshole father, and i appreciate it. sorry i never really showed it. plus - and i hate to admit it - you're totally cooler than me. i'll miss you, girl."

he really didn't have the strength to carry on, but it would be awkward if he only said goodbye to gina. 

"rosa! thank you for being my first and only friend in the academy. sorry for annoying you all these years. to be honest, i don't know how to comfort you or whatever, so. just promise me you won't wallow in your own sadness, yeah? a thousand pushups."

the sirens were getting closer, but not close enough. 

"terry. sorry for being your big work baby. i know it doesn't seem like it, but i've learnt a whole lot from you. tell your kids i love them, okay? it's been an honour to be their godfather. take them out for ice cream and a movie, on uncle jake."

his hands were starting to go numb from the cold. or the blood loss. he couldn't exactly tell by this point.

"my best bud, charles. now, i know you're gonna be reaaaaal sad after this. all i can ask is get some better hair dye, and don't resort to only eating eggs? seriously dude, you're my best friend. i love you, even if your food is gross and probably illegal at some points. promise me you'll move on. i know we always joke about you committing suicide at my funeral, but i just want you to live a happy life with nikolaj. sorry - nikolaj."

it was getting increasingly difficult to keep his eyes open, and he considered giving up and just deleting the video. he'd talked too much about his feelings anyway. he knew amy would shout at him though, so he persevered despite the growing feeling of his clothes becoming soaked in blood.

"captain raymond holt. nope, regretted it as soon as i said it, way too formal. i think we can all agree that we're past that point by now. dad? you've taught me a lot. sorry for unloading all my daddy issues onto you. seriously though, i do consider you and kevin my dads. plus, you've called me son before, so no take-backs! anyway, thank you. i wish i could've watched die hard with you and kevin. i love you. nope, too much emotion, robot time! zeep-zorp! heh..."

man, he really didn't want to do this last one. he had so much to say, but he was starting to feel his legs and to be honest it wasn't fun. it also was definitely not a good sign, so he should probably get this over with. 

"and ames. i have too much to say to you right now, but i can't exactly get through it all in time."

that wasn't the whole truth. sure, he had a certain time limit, but it was more than that. he just couldn't seem to get the right words out. he hoped she wouldn't take offence, because her message was undoubtedly going to be shorter than the others. 

"okay, here goes."

secretly, he had been thinking about her question. in the last five minutes he'd been laying there, it was pretty much all he could think about. 

"i was dangerously tangled, the second time i met you."

"and now i'm so impatient to adore you, i crashed my car..."

his thumb feebly pressed the button to stop the recording, and the phone fell to the ground. 

the sirens sounded much closer than before. how come he hadn't noticed them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edit: okay i didn't expect this to go down this well! thank you for all the support <3 i've noticed that a couple of people have been asking about a second part to this; is that something that more people would want? i didn't initially plan to continue it, but if people want me to then i'm open to the idea! please leave some feedback in the comments, it would be greatly appreciated. thanks again everyone! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they all found out, one way or another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaa hello! so, as i'm sure you know, i didn't plan on this having a second part, yet here we are. back by popular demand. (two people asked but that's quite a lot by my standards). anyway i wrote this very late at night and i haven't proofread it so please don't judge any stupid mistakes. i will be writing at least one more part for the other characters, i promise! 
> 
> so yeah this probably sucks and doesn't meet your expectations. i'm sorry lmao, i'm not good at writing dialogue!!

it was 2 am when charles found out. 

nikolaj had drank some bad milk, and there was no way he was getting back to sleep as nauseous as he was.

charles was in the process of comforting him when he got the call. he ignored it at first, prioritising his son over something that could probably wait till morning.

but then his phone rang again. and he ignored it, because it was probably just a spam caller. that, or it was his mother. in which case, nikolaj was still more important. nothing was more important.

but then it rang a third time. that was strange. why would they not just leave a voicemail?

"hey niko? i'm gonna take this call really quickly. i'll be back in just a second, yeah? i love you buddy!"

it didn't feel like anything was wrong. you know, like in the movies, the characters always seem to know when something bad has happened. no, that didn't happen here. at least, if it did, charles just brushed it off as sleep deprivation. seriously, between work and caring for a kid, he hardly had time to sleep at all. so to say the background hum of discomfort was normal for him was almost an understatement. 

"hello. is this charles boyle? from the 99th precinct?" 

a solemn voice sounded through the phone. his first thought was a blackmailer, or a kidnapper, or a gang leader, or-

"we have some grave news."

he knew that one day he would receive a call like this. but never this early. he never thought it would be this early.

"yes, this is charles boyle speaking."

he tried to ignore the crack in his voice, or how his hand trembled and struggled to hold the phone to his ear. he managed to keep it up long enough to hear the words he dreaded so much.

"it's detective jake peralta."

the man on the phone kept speaking, but that doesn't mean charles kept listening. no, the phone was on the floor by now, and for once in his life, charles didn't faint. 

instead he simply sat down. sat down and cried. sobbed, even. 

he stayed like that all night. nikolaj eventually took himself to bed. the sun rose, and yet there he sat, in the same position. his phone rang, but this time he ignored them all. he never wanted to pick up the phone again. 

maybe if he ignored them, he could pretend it was all one of jake's elaborate pranks. he convinced himself that if he went into work the next day, jake would be sat at his desk, going on and on about some movie he'd seen. 

yet he didn't go to work the next day. or the one after that, or the one after that. 

because deep down he knew it was real. 

his best friend wasn't coming back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

it was 8am when terry found out. 

cagney and lacey had jumped up onto his bed, excited for their first day back to school. he'd gotten them dressed and ready for school, even prepared a fancy breakfast of pancakes and whipped cream for the special occasion while sharon slept in. 

it wasn't until she woke up that he heard the news. as she took over with the kids, taking them to school, he finally had a chance to check his phone before work. 

a dozen missed calls, from various people, lit up his screen. 

which usually wouldn't be a big deal, because he's a lieutenant and of course people are going to have things to take up with him. except these were all from the same few people, and yet out of all of them, only one voicemail was left. were they together when they called him? why?

tentatively, his thumb moved over the play button, almost skimming over it as he debated whether to listen. of course, he tried his best to push away the feeling of impending doom, and played it.

"terry. terry, i'm sorry."

immediately, rosa's voice cut through the silence, displaying more emotion than he thought he'd ever heard from her. 

"terry, please. we need you over here. please pick up. it's jake."

a sob escaped her lips, and he didn't think he had the patience to sit through the rest of the message. his hands shook slightly as he dropped his phone onto his bed, grabbing his boots and jacket, as well as his keys. 

from on top of the sheets, a weak voice sounded.

"jake's gone."

"please, terry. i..."

"i need you here."

he figured he'd call her back on the way. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

it was 1:30am when rosa and gina found out. 

after they'd gotten off work, they'd decided to go to shaw's for a quick drink. after a short motorcycle ride around the city, whilst gossiping of course. 

but rosa had a bad feeling in her gut. the feeling that charles didn't have. that something was very, very wrong. 

of course, instead of confronting this feeling, she drank it away. like any other person would do, obviously. and gina joined her.

and so the night slipped out from under them. one drink turned to three, then to five, and they stopped counting pretty soon after that. at some point rosa thought she heard sirens in the distance, but honestly by that point she was too drunk to care. she didn't make the connection. 

she just drank.

until the barman handed her a phone.

she couldn't exactly remember what he said, just some stuff about "this call's for you. they say they've been trying to reach you?"

taking the phone with her free hand (the one that wasn't holding a glass of whiskey) she raised it to her ear, slurring her words as she spoke.

"what's uuuuup dudio? whatdya need me for?"

"diaz. are you drunk?"

a deep, solemn voice seemed to boom out of the phone, and she found herself flinching at the volume.

"what? nooooooo. never! i would never. 'm totally fine."

the voice boomed once again.

"i'll be at shaw's in five minutes, to pick you up. please stay where you are."

now, this was a perfectly normal and rational thing to say. however, her drunk mind took this as some sort of threat. 

"what for, huh? to kidnap me? you're gonna kill me? is that what you're gonna do? cause trust me, 'm not going down without a figh-"

her powerful speech was cut short by her retching and throwing up onto the empty barstool next to her. gina simply held her hair back.

"rosa. just let me pick you up. something has happened to jacob."

just that simple sentence was enough to effectively sober them up. 

so she hung up. and she sat there until they got picked up. and she sat there in the captain's car. and she sat there in the hospital waiting room. 

all she seemed to be able to do was sit there and wait.

as if she were on autopilot, she reached for her phone and called the first person she could see.

she hardly even noticed it go to voicemail.

"terry. terry, i'm sorry."

she felt more nauseous now than she had at the bar. 

"terry, please. we need you over here. please pick up. it's jake."

a sob escaped her lips. she never thought she'd have to say those words. not about jake. 

gina leant over and rubbed her back. she didn't stop till a few hours later. 

"jake's gone."

"please, terry. i..."

"i need you here."

a small beep sounded from the phone after a couple seconds of silence. it alerted her that her message was over. and that it really was just a message.

it was all hopeless in the end anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> edit: okay i didn't expect this to go down this well! thank you for all the support <3 i've noticed that a couple of people have been asking about a second part to this; is that something that more people would want? i didn't initially plan to continue it, but if people want me to then i'm open to the idea! please leave some feedback in the comments, it would be greatly appreciated. thanks again everyone! :)


End file.
